Glendalough, or “the valley of two lakes,” is a popular tourist destination. place in Ireland just an hour from Dublin. If you type in search “Glendalough,” you will see hundreds of photos of old monastic settlement with a tower, dilapidated buildings and cemetery. The settlement, which was founded in the 6th century, is a place just matchless – beautiful, ancient, mysterious. But Glendalough is more than a monastic settlement. In this article I want to share our two-day trip to Glendalough (although it was necessary to stay For a three days!).
I’ll start with the monastery settlement with a tower and cemetery.
It is better to just look at it than read about it.
A classic photo of a cemetery with a tower. 
Another classic photo in a rare sunny moment. 
Gravestones that fell on each other. 
Incredibly beautiful landscapes in the distance, where you definitely need to go.
Most tourists come to Glendaloch for an hour, walk among graves, take pictures and leave. But right behind the graveyard are hiding incredibly picturesque landscapes. Right behind the cemetery, in the valley between two mountain ranges are two lakes. We walked one by one the ridge on the first day and along the second ridge on the second day.
Upper lake.
The first day. The ridge on the left.
The day was gloomy. Drizzle continuously. In the forest on the way to the mountain was dark and still. There was no one else in the forest. These factors created a special mysterious atmosphere, so even Well, that day turned out to be gloomy.
Steps leading through the woods to the mountain. 
Lower lake and monastic settlement in the distance. 
Both lakes are in dark blue (darkness in Glendalohe is blue).
Second day. The ridge on the right.
The day was sunny. We decided to go to the point where the ridges connect hugging lakes. At this point are the ruins of the old mining village, which stood there in the late 19th century. A place younger than the monastic settlement, but still worth the expense picturesque ruins.
The place where the mountains connect. The mining village is there, merges with the terrain. 
The ruins of a mining village. 
More ruins mining village. 
The upper lake and the ruins of the village (which again merge with terrain).
An additional advantage of the two-day trip was the night shooting a cemetery. The night shot was easy because we stayed at the Glendalough Hotel, which is literally in a minute walk from the cemetery. The best word to describe the atmosphere at the ancient cemetery on a black silent night is “Sinister.” The atmosphere was ominous.
Cemetery at night number 1. 
Cemetery at night # 2. 
Ghost.
If you go to Glendalough and highly recommend driving, then for two days, or even three.
Original article in English and even more photos by link.
Photos of the author of the article – Irina Lutsenko.
Travel companion, as well as a ghost on the last photos – Peter Filippov.
November 2017.
More about my travels in my blog English https://iralutse.blogspot.ru.
